Minky Dot Football Blanket

It’s getting to be that time of year where we all start thinking about what we’d like to get our loved ones for Christmas. Well, this year I have set out to DIY most of my gifts. Thanks to my wonderful husband who bought me a brand new sewing machine for my birthday! Anyway, I saw this really neat Minky Dot Football Blanket on Etsy and I thought, “I can do that.” So I did.

Here is the finished product, football side up.

Fleece side up.

Both sides, just for contrast.

I was really happy with the finished product. It’s a super simple project, but the material is kind of expensive. I took advantage of Hobby Lobby’s sales, but the total price still cost around $25. The Collegiate material is what gets ya and I’m not even an Auburn fan! ROLL TIDE!!! Unfortunately (just kidding) 🙂 my little niece is apparently destined to be an Auburn Tiger. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it for her!

If you want to give this a try, here’s a detailed list of steps I took to make this blanket. Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures during the project, but it’s pretty self explanatory if you’re familiar with a sewing machine. I hope to make another for a friend’s baby so stay tuned for pics.

Materials Needed:

Minky Dot Fabric 1yd. – I made a football so I used brown, but you can use any color you like.

Fleece – I chose the Collegiate material 1yd. and white 1/2 yd. for the football markings

Thread – color to match material

Scissors

Pencil

Sewing Machine

Step 1:

Since this is a baby blanket I only used 1yd. Feel free to use more material for a larger blanket. Take the minky dot material and fold it in half hamburger style and in half again hot dog style. This is how I cut my football shape to be as even as possible. Cut an arch from one corner to the opposite diagonal corner. Make sure you are starting on the raw edge side in the lower corner. you will end up on the folded side in the upper corner. After unfolding the material you should have a shape similar to a football. Fold the Collegiate material the same way and use the minky dot material as a template. I didn’t unfold my minky material before cutting the fleece.

Step 2:

Now you are going to cut the white fleece for the football stripes and stitches. I chose to curve mine simply because I liked the way it looked. You can make the stripes straight if you like. It’s easier to measure and sew that way. If you want them curved, lay the white fleece on top of the unfolded minky dot. You can’t see through the fleece, but you should be able to feel the outline of the minky material. Use your finger to trace around the minky and imprint on the fleece. I just eyeballed my stripes. I’m not sure how else to tell you to do it without requiring some math and other such things that I just didn’t have time for. So, eyeball it as best you can…it’ll look great! Cut out your stripes and stitches. The stitches are easy. One long strip of white fleece about 8-10″ by 2″ and three short strips about 3-4″ by 1″ You can add more stitches if you have a bigger blanket. It’s really up to you.

Step 3:

Now it’s time to pin and sew. You want to sew all the white fleece onto the minky dot before you sew your two sides together. Pin the fleece into place. Use the zigzag stitch on your machine and stitch around the stripes. You don’t have to stitch the tops and bottoms. They will be sewn shut when you sew the two sides together. To sew the stitches, do the same thing, but stitch the long strip first and then add the smaller stitches. This gives it a more uniform look and nothing poofs up in the middle.

Step 4:

Once you’re done with the white fleece, you can piece and pin together the two sides. Remember you want RIGHT sides together. If you’ve ever made a pillow this is kind of the same thing. After pinning, use the straight stitch on your machine and stitch all the way around the edge of the pinned pieces about 1/4″. Be sure to leave enough room to turn your blanket inside out. Then take a needle and thread and sew the opening shut.

NOTE: I chose not to quilt my blanket because minky tends to pull and tug. It is open in the middle, but the seams are heavy enough that it doesn’t get twisted around all that much. If you choose to quilt your blanket, do this before sewing the sides, otherwise you’ll have lots of loose strings to trim. You may need to get some binding if you choose to do your blanket this way.